US secretly drafting new Ukraine peace plan with Russian input – Axios - 2時間前  RT

“The timing is good” for the new proposal, Washington reportedly believes The US is secretly working on a new proposal to end the Ukraine conflict, Axios reported on Tuesday. The draft was reportedly prepared in close consultation with Moscow and has already been floated to Kiev and its European backers. According to the outlet, the 28-point document draws on principles discussed by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at their meeting in Alaska in August. Senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev told Axios that he sp...moreent three days reviewing the idea with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff during his late-October visit to the US. ”We think the timing is good for this plan now,” a US official familiar with the matter told Axios. “But both parties need to be practical and realistic.” Witkoff reportedly reviewed the draft document this week with Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. Read more Top Zelensky aide facing imminent firing – media Umerov left Ukraine amid a widening corruption scandal involving Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of Vladimir Zelensky who has been charged with running a kickback scheme involving a state-run nuclear power company. Ukrainian media have claimed that Umerov, whose family resides in the US, has refused to return to Kiev following reports that he was influenced by Mindich during his tenure as defense minister. Witkoff is expected to meet Zelensky in Türkiye on Wednesday. According to The Economist’s Oliver Carroll, the US envoy canceled a planned meeting with Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, after realizing the political pressure Zelensky faces to dismiss him, as Yermak is widely suspected of involvement in the Mindich network. “Witkoff might not have been aware of the scandal he was walking into when agreeing the meeting,” Carroll wrote on X. Moscow has insisted that any lasting settlement to the Ukraine conflict must address its fundamental security demands. Dmitriev told Axios he was cautiously optimistic about the new US proposal, saying “we feel the Russian position is really being heard.”...

Woman taped to bench in Ukraine in public punishment (VIDEO) - 12時間前  RT

The incident reportedly took place in Odessa, with witnesses saying the restrained individual had been scattering trash in a residential courtyard A woman was found restrained in the Ukrainian city of Odessa after an unidentified man taped her to a bench in what appeared to be an act of public punishment, local news agency UNN reported on Tuesday, citing regional police. Video circulating on social media shows the restrained woman lying on the bench on her belly, with her small dog standing nearby, occasionally licking her face, as people walk ...morepast and some bystanders film the scene. Scattered trash from a torn refuse bag lies on the ground next to her. Police told the outlet they had received a call about a person allegedly scattering trash, confronting passers-by and threatening to break windows. When a patrol arrived, the individual was already restrained, the officers said. The woman reportedly did not require medical treatment and was taken to a local station. She apologized for her behavior and chose not to file a complaint about the restraint. Officers are now working to identify the man involved. READ MORE: Roma tied to lamp posts and sprayed with dye in Ukraine – reports Reports of public punishments have repeatedly surfaced in Ukraine in recent years, with radicals targeting foreigners and minorities and multiple photos showing people tied to lamp posts and sprayed with green antiseptic dye. Human rights groups have been raising concerns over such practices in light of Kiev’s EU membership ambitions. Vladimir Zelensky applied for Ukraine’s immediate EU membership shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in February 2022. Later that year, Ukraine was granted EU candidate status. At the time, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo signaled that providing Ukraine with EU-candidate status was a “symbolic message” of support for Kiev, while noting that actual membership remains “many years” away and depends on Ukraine meeting the bloc’s standards. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has argued that Ukraine’s accession to the EU would undermine the bloc and could ultimately lead to its collapse. According to a 2024 European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) report, Ukraine is among the countries with the highest number of lawsuits lodged against it at the court....

US House votes to force release of Epstein files - 14時間前  RT

The development comes a day after President Donald Trump ended his opposition to the move The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to oblige the Department of Justice release all unclassified documents related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. On Monday, President Donald Trump ended his opposition to the plan by calling on Republicans in the House to support the initiative. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was found dead in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His long associati...moreon with wealthy and influential figures in the US and beyond continues to fuel controversy in Washington, where both parties have accused each other of using the case for political gain. The resolution was passed 427-1 after being signed by 218 lawmakers in the House, where Republicans hold a 219-214 majority. The documents are now to go to the Senate for further consideration. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, has declined to comment on what comes next. Read more Trump makes another U-turn on Epstein files The resolution still allows the Justice Department to withhold materials that could “jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.” On Monday, Trump stated on Truth Social that “the House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE!” He also maintained that “we have nothing to hide.” The president had opposed the release for months, accusing Democrats of hyping up the case to distract the public from the real issues and damage his presidency. He still referred to the case as the “Epstein hoax” in his post on social media. Trump vowed to release the Epstein files during his election campaign and signed a relevant executive order shortly after taking office. US officials have since released several batches of files related to the disgraced financier, including 20,000 documents in November alone. However, key materials – including flight logs, client names, and contact lists – have remained under seal, fueling speculation about who could be implicated. Earlier this month, Democrats published an email in which Epstein alleged that Trump “knew about the girls.” In response, Trump ordered a probe into Epstein’s ties to prominent Democrats, including Bill Clinton....

Visa-free entry for Chinese citizens to start ‘very soon’ – Putin - 15時間前  RT

Beijing’s earlier decision to ease entry rules for Russian nationals will be reciprocated Russia will introduce visa-free travel for Chinese citizens in the very near future, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. The measure will mirror Beijing’s recent decision to grant the same privilege to Russian nationals. The Russian leader made the announcement during talks in Moscow with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who had arrived for a session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government. Putin praised B...moreeijing’s decision in to grant Russians visa-free entry, saying it would “undoubtedly” contribute to further strengthening cultural and economic ties between the two countries. “From our side, very soon, reciprocal measures will come into force for citizens of the People’s Republic of China visiting Russia,” he said, adding that it would help boost bilateral cooperation. China introduced one-year trial visa-free entry for Russian travelers in September. The change has already shown up in travel statistics, with a 30-40% year-on-year increase in Russian citizens visiting China in October, according to Tatiana Lobach, deputy chair of the State Duma’s tourism committee. “People want to learn about the culture, nature, and traditions of a friendly country,” she told TASS. READ MORE: China announces visa-free travel for Russians Two years ago, Russia and China agreed to permit tour groups visa-free trips to each other’s countries, a change that has also boosted tourist numbers. Between January and July of this year, 237,000, Russians visited China, while 262,000 Chinese tourists came to Russia. Eight Russian airlines currently operate 36 routes to China, while ten Chinese carriers fly 24 routes to Russia, with a combined 230 flights a week.

UK tax haven blocks Russian tycoon’s Chelsea cash for Ukraine - 18時間前  RT

Around $3 billion from the football club’s sale remains in limbo because Jersey began to probe the source of the funds A UK offshore tax haven is blocking Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich’s attempt to hand the proceeds from the sale of the Chelsea football club to Ukraine, the Daily Telegraph reports, citing sources. Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the UK sanctioned Abramovich – who had owned Chelsea for 20 years – while in the Channel island of Jersey, a probe was launched into the origins of the Russ...moreian tycoon’s wealth. Jersey’s Royal Court imposed a freezing order on £5.3 billion ($7 billion) in assets linked to Abramovich, the report said. The move also blocked £2.35 billion from the 2022 sale of Chelsea, money the tycoon had reportedly intended to direct toward aid for victims of the Ukraine conflict on both sides. The funds remain frozen in a UK bank account pending a Foreign Office license for their release. Due to sanctions, Abramovich cannot access the money but retains legal ownership, meaning he must approve any distribution. According to the outlet, Jersey initially treated Abramovich as a criminal suspect, but later documents show that raids on his properties were carried out unlawfully. His lawyers argued that officials deleted key data during the probe, a claim that emerged after they compelled the authorities to release internal communications about the case. Read more Russian tycoon’s team denies ‘misleading’ Guardian claim The Jersey court has recently sided with Abramovich, ordering the government to pay his legal costs and condemning its conduct as “extreme,” the report said. A spokesperson for the businessman called the attorney general’s move “illegitimate” and “politically motivated,” arguing that it was driven by a desire to bolster Jersey’s image as a financial hub amid growing sensitivities over Russian money. He noted the irony of a government that once welcomed Abramovich’s“clean” funds now coming under scrutiny for its own actions. The UK operates is own offshore tax-havens under crown protection, helping wealthy individuals and multinationals avoid higher taxes in their home countries....

Is Zelensky finally corrupt enough for the biggest Rafale deal of all time? - 19時間前  RT

France gleefully ignores the massive graft scandal gripping Kiev as it announces its intent to sell 100 fighter jets to Ukraine Will the 100 fighter jets that French President Emmanuel Macron has just promised Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky arrive in time to kick off World War III? Europe’s favorite girlfriend, Zelensky, arrived in Paris on Monday, in the wake of the city lighting up its annual Christmas decorations on the Champs Elysees. Guess he heard that Santa Claus was coming and wanted to take an early spin on his lap. Cast in t...morehe role is Macron, who pulled out a “letter of intention” to supply Kiev with up to 100 French Rafale fighter jets.Both signed it. Rafales are the second-most expensive fighter jets in the world, and to date, this many have never been sold to a single buyer before. The agreement so far is not binding as to any eventual sale, but letters of intention can contain binding exclusivity or “no-shop” clauses, the breach of which can lead to damages being awarded for the loss of pre-contract expenses. These don’t amount to very much, relatively speaking. But the real value in it for Zelensky and Macron is to stick it to Donald Trump. Because Trump keeps saying that he’ll supply weapons to Ukraine by basically turning the EU into a franchise for the US defense industry: they’d purchase American weapons for Kiev and then hand them over. This move makes it clear that the EU will instead be buying European weapons for Ukraine. Which is a huge middle finger to Trump’s obvious self-serving strategy of hiking NATO country spending demands to 5% of GDP so they have more cash to spend on US weapons under the guise of needing to protect themselves from their obsession over Vladimir Putin arriving in 2035. (The specific date conveniently gives them enough of a fiscal runway to thoroughly rinse out the pockets of their own taxpayers for this grift.) NATO countries have been indulging in some real idiocy lately in an attempt to shove as much of their budget as possible into the “defense spending” category to meet Trump’s 5%. Read more Ukraine eyeing purchase of 100 French jets Canada recently proposed training 300,000 federal civil servants to “shoot guns, drive trucks, and fly drones,” according to the Ottawa Citizen citing a “defense department directive.”Perhaps that would allow the government to classify as military spending the salaries of any future heat-packers at agencies and departments like the National Arts Center, the Canada Pension Plan, Revenue Canada, and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Similarly, Italy is building a bridge to Sicily that it’s classifying as military, just because troops could also use it,which has inspired Germany to do the same with its own civilian bridge and road projects. So these countries were already performing ridiculous charades in an attempt to make Trump’s defense spending demands work to their own benefit. Now Macron has taken it a step further by getting Zelensky to commit to defense purchasing exclusivity to the overt detriment of the American weapons industry and the benefit of Europe’s. Minor problem, though: who’s paying? The average French citizen would really like to know. We’re talking about $10 billion here. Online comments about this announcement have rightfully underscored that neither France nor Ukraine ...

Russia and US in talks over potential new prisoner swap – Axios - 20時間前  RT

Discussions come amid broader attempts to rebuild trust between Moscow and Washington Moscow and Washington are discussing the possibility of new prisoner exchange, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing officials from both countries. Prisoner swaps, the latest of which took place in April, were part of US President Donald Trump’s effort to stabilize relations with Russia after years of diplomatic friction. Kirill Dmitriev, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, told Axios that the prospect of another exchange was raised during his trip ...moreto Washington in late October. “I met some US officials and members of the Trump team on some issues that are humanitarian in nature, such as possible exchanges of prisoners that the US side has been working on,” Dmitriev told the outlet in a phone interview. US officials confirmed that Dmitriev discussed the idea with special envoy Steve Witkoff and other members of the Trump administration, but no agreement has been reached and no names have been publicly identified, according to Axios. Read more Kiev eyeing ‘good use’ for Ukrainians deported by Trump – WaPo The Trump administration has rejected the previous White House’s strategy of isolating Moscow over the Ukraine conflict, promoting instead what it calls a pragmatic normalization process. Officials have described prisoner exchanges as a confidence-building element meant to repair bilateral ties damaged under President Joe Biden. In May, Washington reportedly provided Moscow with a list of nine people whose release it wanted. One of them, Joseph Tater, reportedly left Russia in June, after a court overturned his involuntary psychiatric commitment stemming from a brief altercation with police during an apparent mental health episode. Witkoff, who has been handling several sensitive negotiations for Trump, was personally involved in arranging prisoner exchanges with Russia. This week he is expected to meet Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky in Türkiye. The Ukrainian leader is facing political fallout from a major corruption scandal involving longtime associate Timur Mindich, accused by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of overseeing a $100 million kickback operation in the energy sector. Reports in Ukrainian media have suggested that the probe may have received discreet backing from the US authorities....

Merz laments end of old world order - 1日前  RT

Decades of established transatlantic norms and agreements are now being called into question, the German chancellor has said The old world order that the West was accustomed to is coming to an end, with the shape of what comes next still uncertain, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Speaking on Monday at an economic conference hosted by the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, the chancellor argued that the world is undergoing a fundamental shift in political and economic power, forcing Germany and other nations to decide whether to rema...morein passive or take an active role in shaping a future political order extending far beyond the European continent. “We do not yet know what it will look like in a few years, but we know quite clearly that the order we have known in the West over the last 80 years, and in the East over the last 35 years, is now coming to an end – on these very days, weeks, and months, today, the day we meet here,” he stated. The chancellor said “a deep rift” that has recently arisen with the US “calls into question almost everything that we have considered right and necessary in transatlantic relations over the past decades.” Merz also pointed to the challenges facing Germany, citing the Ukraine conflict, relations with China, and the trade dispute with the US, which he described as being far more complex than a simple tariff disagreement. READ MORE: West losing its soft power – Merz The remarks echo the chancellor’s earlier statements that the West is losing its global eminence. In October, Merz acknowledged that the “appeal of what we call the free West is visibly declining.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently highlighted the inevitability of a “multipolar world,” criticizing the West for its “unipolarity” and hegemonic ambitions. He has also stressed that “liberal globalization has outlived its usefulness.”...

NATO nation’s top general tells population to prepare for attack - 1日前  RT

An “adversary” has begun preparing for war, creating the conditions for “aggression,” Polish General Wieslaw Kukula claims Poland faces a potential attack from an “adversary,” Chief of the General Staff General Wieslaw Kukula claims, referencing a series of alleged cyberattacks and acts of sabotage. In an interview with Radio Jedynka on Monday, Kukula responded to remarks by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who compared the current global landscape to the pre-World War II era and the height of the Cold War in 1981. “That’s ...morea very good comparison because everything today depends on our attitude – whether we can deter the enemy or, conversely, encourage their aggression,” Kukula said. He claimed that “the adversary has begun preparing for war” by creating the “conditions favorable to potential aggression on Polish territory,” though he did not specify which country he was referring to. His comments follow an incident on the Warsaw-Lublin railway line in the direction of Ukraine, where a track was damaged twice within 24 hours on Monday. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incident an act of sabotage, though the Interior Ministry declined to confirm this. Read more NATO-Russia war becoming inevitable – Serbian president Spokesperson Karolina Galecka said there is no evidence to suggest deliberate action by third parties, adding in a post on X on Sunday: “Speculation can cause unnecessary emotions and a sense of threat.” This incident fits into a broader pattern. Last month, Tusk announced the detention of eight individuals suspected of planning sabotage. The Polish authorities previously reported that they foiled alleged plots claimed to have been orchestrated “on behalf of foreign intelligence services.” In August, Tusk’s government accused Russia of recruiting citizens from Ukraine and Belarus for sabotage operations on Polish soil. Tensions between Moscow and Warsaw intensified in September after the Polish authorities accused Russia of conducting drone incursions. The Russian Defense Ministry denied having any intention of targeting Poland and offered to hold consultations with the Polish military on the matter, but Poland did not respond. Politicians among the NATO states have increasingly spoken of a “Russian threat.” Moscow has denied harboring any aggressive intentions towards member states, but has warned of a harsh response if attacked....

Ukraine eyeing purchase of 100 French jets - 1日前  RT

Moscow has warned that a potential contract on Rafale procurement could pave the way for corruption Ukraine plans to acquire up to 100 French-made Rafale fighter jets over the next decade, along with other weapons, including air defense systems, the leaders of the two countries have announced. Moscow has condemned the potential deal, saying it would create conditions for corruption. French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky signed a letter of intent on the purchase during the latter’s visit to Paris on Monday...more. Speaking to LCI broadcaster, Macron said that plans for the delivery of the jets are “needed for the regeneration of the Ukrainian military.” Meanwhile, Zelensky touted the plan as a “strategic agreement” and “a historic deal”. The letter is not a final contract but an initial commitment, and Macron did not provide a delivery timeline or give details on the financing mechanism, saying only he hoped the EU would help procure the jets. Read more Graft scandal has weakened Zelensky – Le Monde This comes as in recent weeks, officials in Brussels have been debating a plan to use frozen Russian assets to produce a loan of €140 billion for cash-strapped Ukraine. Moscow has condemned the asset freeze as “theft”. The Rafale, France’s most advanced multirole jet, is estimated at more than $90 million each. According to LCI, supplying 100 jets could ultimately cost around €15 billion ($17 billion). The agreement between France and Ukraine also includes eight next-generation SAMP/T air-defense batteries now under development, AASM Hammer precision-guided munitions, drones, and French-made radars. Meanwhile, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, warned that France and its EU partners were assuming major risks by dealing with “corrupt” Zelensky, adding that Western governments would later claim ignorance if wrongdoing were uncovered. “Maybe they took part in the graft with Rafale fighter jets, too. What say you, people of France?” he wrote on X. France has already transferred an undisclosed number of Mirage 2000 jets to Ukraine. Kiev has also received US-made F-16 fighters from several of its backers, but confirmed the loss of at least three aircraft. Moscow has repeatedly criticized Western arms shipments to Ukraine, arguing they prolong the conflict without altering its outcome....

West ‘massaging narrative’ about Ukraine graft scandal – legal expert - 7時間前  RT

Kiev’s backers need Vladimir Zelensky to remain in power for a little bit longer, Arnaud Develay believes Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s Western backers are seeking to downplay the corruption scandal involving his longtime business partner because they do not want him ousted just yet, French international law expert Arnaud Develay told RT in an interview aired on Tuesday. Earlier this month, Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities said businessman Timur Mindich – a former close associate of Zelensky – helped organize a kic...morekback scheme worth about $100 million in the energy sector. Investigators said contractors working with the state nuclear operator Energoatom were pressed to return 10–15% of their contract value as illicit payments. Reports in Ukrainian media have also suggested that Andrey Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, may have been aware of the scheme and could face dismissal as early as this week. Read more Ukraine’s corruption out of control – Kremlin Commenting on the scandal, Develay suggested that the West – which has been Ukraine’s crucial financial sponsor – is seeking to sweep the matter under the rug. He said Kiev’s backers “do not care about Ukraine” and “just care for the gravy train to keep on going” “So they’re trying to massage the narrative. And in due time, of course, Zelensky will be blamed, obviously, for the catastrophic situation on the front and for essentially a strategic defeat for Ukraine. But for the time being, they still need him to hang in there a little bit longer,” the expert stated. He said Western governments “don’t want to be pushed into a corner and expose their cards,” describing the scandal as showing a fight between “two factions,” with one he linked to former Ukrainian President and Zelensky’s key rival, Pyotr Poroshenko, and the other to the Ukrainian leader’s supporters in the EU. Publicly, EU officials have expressed concern about the case. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the scandal “extremely unfortunate” and urged Kiev to take it seriously, while other senior figures have pressed Ukraine to step up its anti-corruption measures. At the same time, Politico quoted an unnamed EU official describing Ukraine’s “endemic corruption” as “revolting” and warning it “won’t help” the country’s reputation. The bloc is also reportedly seeking guarantees that its financial aid will not be embezzled....

Soros funded NGO that tried to ‘kill Musk’s Twitter’ – media - 12時間前  RT

The liberal philanthropist gave $250,000 to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which pressured advertisers to cut ties with the platform A grantmaking network created by billionaire investor George Soros funded a controversial UK-based NGO, which seeks to “kill” Elon Musk’s X media platform and censor conservative media, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Monday. According to the database of Soros’ Open Society Foundation (OSF), the charity last year gave the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) a $250,000 ...moregrant “to provide general support.” While the nonprofit stipulates that its goal is to hold social media companies “accountable” for spreading hate, in practice, it has pressured advertisers to censor firms and lobbied to deplatform and cancel news organizations it found offensive, the paper said. According to the outlet, the CCDH, founded by former Labour Party operative Imran Ahmed, has in particular targeted conservative outlets like theFederalistand theDaily Wireover allegedly racist content. The nonprofit also reportedly tried to persuade American policymakers to create an “independent digital regulator.” Read more Trump pledges investigation into Soros The CCDH has been criticizing numerous social media companies over what it saw as a failure to curtail extremism, but has been particularly hostile towards Musk’s X, the paper said. The CCDH’s internal documents openly listed “Kill Musk’s Twitter” as its top annual priority, according to whistleblower documents published by journalists last year. Musk has bitterly feuded with both the CCDH and Soros, and last year unsuccessfully tried to sue the nonprofit for allegedly running a “scare campaign” to drive away advertisers. The X CEO has also accused Soros of many “crimes against humanity,” and of financing attacks on his company Tesla earlier this year. President Donald Trump has also stated that his administration will be moving to sue the Hungarian-born billionaire, accusing him of using “professional agitators” to orchestrate riots in the US. Critics have long accused Soros and his network of NGOs of fueling various protest movements across the world, interfering in elections, and attempting to shape local media landscapes and suppress dissenting views....

Russia is Berlin’s last resort in shutting out political opposition - 15時間前  RT

The German establishment has run out of options: Russophobic propaganda is its only weapon against dissent both on the right and the left Germany’s current political elites are even more submissive toward the US than those of West Germany during the Cold War. Which is ironic as the Cold War has long been over, and, at least after World War Two, America has never treated Germans as atrociously and with such open contempt as now. But clearly, bad old habits are dying hard in Berlin. In fact, they are mushrooming as if there’s no tomor...morerow. It’s no surprise then that Germany’s mainstream political culture is also returning to smearing the domestic opposition as in cahoots with – drumroll and very scary music – Moscow! To be fair, in a way, this is the perfect fusion of something traditionally German and some dutiful copying of the US: the nasty old trick of deriding the opposition as “vaterlandslose Gesellen” (in essence a fifth column) rooted in the mean, militarist politics of semi-authoritarian Wilhelmine Germany combined now with an imitation of slightly dated American-style Russia Rage. The “long-way-West” cult, still so beloved by dogmatic German Atlanticists, meets pre-World War One nationalist info-warring. The victims of this dirty trick come from both the new left and the new right. When the new left BSW party, then under Sahra Wagenknecht and Amira Mohamed Ali (now under Ali and Fabio De Masi) was surging last year, it was the main target of guilt-by-association-with-Russia propaganda. German de facto state TV, which has become extremely conformist, misleading, and – quite simply – mean, accused Wagenknecht of being “in sync with Russian propaganda.” The former minister of the economy, the catastrophic yet blissfully complacent Robert Habeck – now on a sinecure at Berkley University – even went so far as to call the BSW “totally bought” by Moscow. The party sued him, and he lost, rightly so. Wagenknechtwas vindicated by the failure of Habecks’s “lies” and “fake news” to withstand legal scrutiny. Read more Almost half in the West think democracy is ‘broken’ – poll By now, however, the BSW has been excluded from the German parliament by an extremely malodorous combination of electoral miscounts and what looks like a concerted attempt by the establishment parties to delay addressing this massive failure of whatremains of democracy in Germany. In the face of these moves from, as we have learned to say, the 'playbook' of electoral manipulation now apparently considered normal in the EU, the BSW has not given up and may very well still prevail. In that case, it is very likely to enter parliament, the current governing coalition of indistinguishable Centrists (CDU and SPD) fall, and German politics will be shaken up mightily – as it should be. But for now, the German ersatz version of the American Russia-Russia-Russia smear (aka Russia Rage) has focused on the other, currently more powerful opposition party, the AfD– the new right. Even Habeck had already targeted both the BSW and the AfD with his irresponsible and polarizing demagogy. With the AfD holding over 150 seats in the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, and forming its only serious opposition force as well as leading the national polls, it has clearly been singled out for a fresh, concentrated ...

Don’t ‘blindly’ trust AI – Google boss - 17時間前  RT

Artificial Intelligence models are “prone to some errors” and should be used alongside other tools, Sundar Pichai has told the BBC Artificial intelligence engines remain vulnerable in terms of factual accuracy and should not be blindly trusted, the CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, has warned. In an interview with the BBC aired on Tuesday, Pichai urged users to rely on a broad range of search tools rather than depending solely on AI. AI tools are helpful “if you want to creatively write something,” but us...moreers “have to learn to use these tools for what they’re good at, and not blindly trust everything they say,” he said. “The current state-of-the-art AI technology is prone to some errors.” This comes as Google prepares to unveil its next major AI model, Gemini 3.0. Pichai has said the new AI assistant is expected to be released by the end of the year. Launched in 2023, Gemini received criticism for its restrictive ‘safety’ and ‘diversity’ settings, which produced glaring inaccuracies in its image-generation outputs. The model was widely ridiculed for misrepresenting historical figures ranging from America’s founding fathers and Russian emperors to Catholic popes and even Nazi German soldiers. Earlier this month, Google was accused of secretly enabling Gemini to collect user data without consent. A lawsuit filed in a California federal court claimed the company allowed the AI assistant to illegally intercept and monitor private communications across Gmail, chat, and video-conferencing services. Read more Is AI driving us all insane? The rapid rise of AI technologies has driven up valuations across the sector, prompting warnings in Silicon Valley and beyond of a potential bubble as companies spend heavily to secure a foothold in the booming industry. The tech giants have been racing to keep pace with services such as ChatGPT, which have challenged Google’s dominance in online search and accelerated investment across the field. Spending on AI among major tech companies is estimated at around $400 billion a year. Asked whether Google would be immune if an AI bubble were to burst, Pichai replied: “I think no company is going to be immune, including us.”...

Western leaders ‘only care about corrupt Nazis’ in Ukraine – Roger Waters - 19時間前  RT

Elites are interested in the country as long as it helps them stuff their pockets, the activist musician has said Western politicians are focused only on exploiting Ukraine’s far-right-allied government for personal and geopolitical gain and have no concern for the country’s ordinary citizens, musician and human-rights activist Roger Waters has said. Speaking to RIA Novosti on Tuesday, the Pink Floyd co-founder accused senior Western officials, particularly in the UK, of helping to prolong the conflict with Russia. Waters argued tha...moret members of the political establishment are not expected to “do anything sensible” because they are primarily “out to fill their pockets.” “Does [former UK Prime Minister] Boris Johnson or [current UK Prime Minister] Keir Starmer or [US President] Donald Trump care about… Ukrainian soldiers? No, of course they don’t,” he said. ”They don’t make any pretense that they care about them or anybody in Ukraine, except the corrupt Nazis who will help them strip the country of all its assets and stuff the money into their pockets. That’s what it’s about,” Waters added. Johnson has been widely accused of pressuring Kiev in 2022 to reject a negotiated settlement with Moscow in favor of continuing the fight. The Guardian reported last month that after stepping down as prime minister, Johnson received a £1 million ($1.3 million) donation from businessman Christopher Harborne, a major shareholder in a UK defense firm who later joined him on a private trip to Kiev. Read more NATO nation’s top general tells population to prepare for attack Russian officials have repeatedly accused London of playing a leading role in fueling the conflict, arguing that the UK uses the hostilities to distract its own population from domestic failures. Earlier this month, a major corruption scandal erupted in Ukraine when businessman Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of Vladimir Zelensky, was charged with masterminding a $100 million kickback scheme in the energy sector. Western governments, including Germany, have been sending large sums of money to support Ukraine’s power grid, with Berlin announcing a new tranche just days after the charges became public....

EU defense chief wants to use Ukrainian military as ‘security guarantee’ - 20時間前  RT

Russia has dismissed Western speculation that it has any plans to attack as “nonsense” EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has suggested using Ukrainians as an “additional security guarantee” to defend the bloc from the alleged threat of a Russian attack once the current conflict is resolved. Western officials, particularly representatives of the Baltic states, have increasingly invoked the supposed Russian threat to justify major military spending spikes in recent months. Moscow has rejected claims it plans to attack anyone as...more “nonsense,” arguing the West is using Russia as a “monster” to stoke tensions, ramp up military budgets, and distract from domestic problems. Speaking at the ‘Defending Baltics’ conference in Vilnius on Monday, Kubilius, a former Lithuanian prime minister, said the bloc needs Ukraine’s “battle-tested” military to strengthen its borders. “It would be good that a battle-tested Ukrainian army, after peace has been established in Ukraine, would be ready to be present in all the countries of our frontier region… next to the German brigade and the rotating US battalions as an additional guarantee for our security,” he stated. Read more Kremlin responds to Germany’s warning of potential 2028 war Kubilius claimed Russia could attack the EU – starting with the Baltic states – within two-to-four years, and said Ukrainian troops can offer the bloc “the most precise answers” on how to defend itself. He suggested Brussels should find ways to integrate Ukrainian defense capabilities, soldiers, and industry into its military ecosystem. The commissioner did not explain how Brussels could use the Ukrainian military without Kiev joining either the EU or NATO. While Kiev has demanded NATO accession, Moscow has opposed it, insisting Ukrainian neutrality and demilitarization must be part of any future settlement. The US and several other of Kiev’s backers are opposed to its membership. Moscow has not yet responded to Kubilius’ remarks, but Russian officials have long accused the West of intending to fight “to the last Ukrainian” in their proxy war against Russia. Moscow has also warned that increased militarization only risks a wider conflict in Europe. READ MORE: NATO member launches military exercise on Russia’s doorstep Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this week that Russia does not seek a confrontation with the West but could be forced to take measures to ensure its security in response to its increasingly “militaristic” rhetoric....

Parts of the internet are down: Live Updates - 21時間前  RT

Issues with infrastructure provider Cloudflare have caused outages across popular websites worldwide Major websites such as X and ChatGPT have stopped working due to an outage at Internet infrastructure provider Cloudflare on Tuesday. A popular tool for checking whether a site is down, downdetector.com, has also been affected. In a message on its status page just before noon UTC, the company said that it “is experiencing an internal service degradation,” and investigating the issue. Cloudflare’s servers act as “reverse p...moreroxy,” routing internet traffic through its network to protect against potential cyberthreats to its customers. It protects nearly a fifth of all sites around the world. Major websites that use its protection have faced intermittent outages. DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Trump ‘OK’ with launching strikes in Mexico - 1日前  RT

Military action has been pitched as a potential way to fight drug smuggling in the country US President Donald Trump has said he is open to ordering strikes in Mexico to fight drug cartels, regardless of opposition from Mexican authorities. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump was asked whether he would consider striking Mexico or sending US troops to tackle drug smuggling. He replied that it would be “OK” with him. “Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” Trum...morep said. He refused to say whether he would seek Mexico’s permission but claimed the country’s authorities know “how I stand.” “We know every route, we know the addresses of every drug lord,” Trump added. “They’re killing our people. That’s like a war. Would I do it? I’d be proud to.” Read more US to add ‘terror’ label to Venezuelan cartel it claims is linked to Maduro The US has increasingly accused Mexico of failing to curb drug-smuggling networks, especially those trafficking fentanyl to the US, and placed sweeping sanctions on Mexican banks, companies, and alleged cartel-linked individuals earlier this year, along with a 25% tariff on Mexican imports. While Mexico has cooperated with Washington in the anti-drug campaign, it firmly rejects any foreign military presence. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly said US military action in Mexico without her consent will not happen and rejected Trump’s proposal to send troops into the country, arguing it would violate Mexico’s sovereignty. Potential strikes inside Mexico would expand what the Trump administration calls a campaign against narcotics trafficking in Central and South America. Trump labeled Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro “drug leaders” and earlier this year sent a naval armada to the western Caribbean under the pretext of fighting drug smuggling. Since September, US forces have hit 21 alleged drug-smuggling vessels, killing more than 80 people. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he would be “proud” to strike cocaine factories in Colombia and would not rule out sending troops to Venezuela to fight drug cartels. READ MORE: Colombian leader labels Trump ‘barbarian’ over Caribbean strikes The US buildup and strikes prompted Colombia’s Petro, whom Washington sanctioned last month, to denounce Trump as “a barbarian.” Maduro, who denies links to drug cartels, warned Trump’s actions could spark a “forever war” in the region....

UN endorses Trump-backed ‘stabilization force’ in Gaza - 1日前  RT

The multinational contingent will have the mandate to oversee the demilitarization of the Palestinian enclave The UN Security Council has adopted a US-drafted resolution endorsing a Gaza peace plan and authorizing an “international stabilization force” in the enclave. Russia, along with China, abstained, arguing that the document contains numerous practical caveats and could undermine the concept of the two-state solution. The 15-member council voted on Monday to approve the US text, which endorses US President Donald Trump’s ...more20-point plan to end the Gaza War and legitimizes the so-called Board of Peace (BoP), which is designed to operate as a transitional governance body. The resolution also supports a multinational International Stabilization Force (ISF) to be established under BoP’s command. The ISF is expected to include contingents from Arab countries and beyond to help provide security, train a new Palestinian police force, and oversee the demilitarization and redevelopment in Gaza. Read more Putin and Netanyahu hold phone call ahead of UN vote on Gaza peacekeepers US Ambassador Mike Waltz lauded the resolution as “another significant step towards a stable Gaza that will be able to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security,” adding that the ISF will “support the demilitarization of Gaza, [and] dismantle terrorist infrastructure.” Russia, which could have vetoed the resolution, ultimately refrained from doing so, although Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, criticized the document as “yet another pig in a poke.” “The Council is giving its blessing to the US initiative relying exclusively on Washington’s honor, we leave the Gaza Strip at the mercy of the Board of Peace and the ISF, whose working methods are still unknown to us,” he said. Nebenzia went on to urge UN members to make sure that the document “does not become a smokescreen for unbridled experiments by the US and Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory nor turn into a death sentence for the two-state solution”. Still, he explained that Russia had set aside its own draft after taking note that many Arab states supported the American resolution. At the same time, Hamas, which remains in control in Gaza, denounced the resolution, arguing the ISF’s mandate to disarm militant groups in the enclave “strips it of its neutrality, and turns it into a party to the conflict in favor of the occupation.”...

Germany to lift arms export restrictions on Israel - 1日前  RT

Berlin halted weapons supplies to West Jerusalem over its campaign in Gaza in August Germany will resume its arms exports to Israel starting November 24, the government deputy spokesman, Sebastian Hille, told journalists on Monday. The deliveries were suspended in August when West Jerusalem announced its plans to occupy Gaza City as part of its military campaign against Hamas. According to Hille, the situation on the ground has since “stabilized,” with a US-backed ceasefire in force since October 10. The official refused to provide ...moreany comments on whether Germany, the second-largest exporter of arms to Israel after the US, could reintroduce the restrictions again if the situation changes. The spokesman also refused to provide any comments on whether any deliveries requested by Israel were cancelled or delayed at the time when the restrictions were in place. When asked if Berlin is aware of any violations of the ceasefire regime or the international humanitarian law by Israel, Hille said that the government is “monitoring” the situation on the ground and is “in constant dialogue with the parties involved” but has “no information” on any possible violations. Read more Israeli troops forced Palestinians into explosive-laden tunnels – Reuters His words came just days after Israel’s security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, claimed that the Palestinian people have never existed and the nation was just “an invention without any historical, archaeological, or factual basis.” Last week, Reuters also reported that the Israeli military was sending Palestinian civilians into Hamas tunnels that they knew might be rigged with explosives during their campaign in Gaza. Berlin’s Monday decision was welcomed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who urged other nations to “adopt similar decisions” in a post on X. It also drew some criticism at home, with Lea Reisner, the Left Party’s spokesperson for international relations, calling it “fatal and completely irresponsible.” Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce. At least 245 Palestinians have been killed in IDF strikes in Gaza over the past month, according to local officials. West Jerusalem launched its military campaign in the Palestinian enclave in response to a Hamas surprise attack in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others taken hostage in October 2023. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health authorities, the campaign has left at least 68,000 Palestinians dead....